This Won't End Well
by Mara Beth
Summary: When Scarlet Briar runs across the leader of the Pact, she decides to have a little bit of fun at his expense.


Reports from Divinity's Reach were stacked neatly in two piles- things that had been read and things that had not. Anything else would not be accepted in the Firstborn's workspace. Chaos, as Trahearne knew, was necessary in the large puzzle that was the world, but in the small, neat section that was his in Fort Trinity, chaos would not be tolerated. If he wanted chaos, all he had to do was walk a few feet outside the fort. No doubt undead would be found in a matter of minutes.

Just the thought made him scowl. The cleanup process was a long road, but as the leader of the Pact, he felt it was his responsibility to get it done. His Wyld Hunt was finished, but he was sure he could find purpose in eliminating the remaining foul creatures.

But this was new. Reports of a different threat were flowing in. No, flowing was too mild a word. A torrent of reports had come in all at once from every corner of Tyria. A Sylvari, going by the name of "Scarlet Briar," had unleashed twisted machine creatures throughout the nations and was holding hostages in the prized pavilion of Divinity's Reach.

"Brilliant," Trahearne muttered as he scanned through the papers. This was another problem on top of all the others. The only benefit he could find was that the minions were also attacking the undead.

He shook his head as he read the information on the woman. There was no way she had graduated all three Asuran colleges. Asura were too proud to let a member of any other race study with them.

"Claims to have seen the Eternal Alchemy," Trahearne read aloud from the paper. The woman was obviously insane. And intelligent. Those things together meant danger. The most recent intel was the beginnings of portal activity near Gendarren Fields. The Sylvari frowned. If the creatures reached Lion's Arch, people would lose heart.

Trahearne stood, organizing the papers one last time before pushing the chair back into place. A quick scan confirmed that nothing was out of place, and he nodded before turning to leave. He walked briskly, squaring his shoulders as he made his way across the fort to the gates. He made arrangements with the technician quickly- a transport to the Vigil Keep would send him straight to Gendarren Fields, and any troops he required would be easily accessible.

He stepped through the gate quickly. There was that fleeting, terrible moment where he felt disconnected from the Dream, and then he was in the Keep. That was always the worst part of gate-traveling. Feeling disconnected from the Dream made him feel so empty, even if it was just a fraction of a second.  
Trahearne hurried down the ramp and looked over the wall surrounding the Keep. Small window-like tears in the sky opened and closed rapidly, like a light being turned on and off, until finally they took hold and seemed to rip the sky apart. Machinery spilled out, twisting and contorting until it formed animate creatures that began attacking anything in sight.

A settlement was in view a long way from the Keep. The Firstborn could see a large portal open directly above it. There were no Vigil troops immediately in the Keep, and Trahearne assumed they had already entered battle. A quick decision had to be made- something Trahearne had become quite good at- and he began running.

He reasoned that if he was fast enough, he could make it there in time to at least offer some assistance. The settlers already had to deal with centaurs, and he knew that the machinery would weaken them and make them vulnerable to further centaur attacks.

A mechanical whirring sounded to his left. Trahearne pulled Caladbolg from his back, cutting the floating machine back into spare parts nearly as soon as it had formed. Two more had risen on his other side. He focused on the larger of the two, searching for weaknesses in its structure as he cleaved at it. He heard a metallic clanging behind him and glanced over his shoulder, holding a defensive position against the warg-like machine.

The glance caused Trahearne to look again. What he saw unnerved him. The smaller of the machines was reassembling the one he had just cut down. Three machines were now facing him down. He could disassemble them again with ease, the mighty sword had no problem cutting through metal, but he would have to be fast enough to stop them from repairing the ones he slayed.

He spent several minutes learning about the monsters, engaging them to learn their strengths and weaknesses before he decided he knew enough. The machines were dispatched of and he continued towards the settlement.

There was a high-pitched ringing followed by the sound of scraping metal. A blinding light appeared several feet in front of the Firstborn, and then it disappeared just as quickly, revealing a portal in it's place.

Trahearne readied Caladbolg as more of the machines trickled out of the portal. He stepped backwards. There were at least a dozen now, and the portal didn't show signs of closing.

He started at the creatures, using a mixture of magic and metal to destroy them. One, two, three machines destroyed. He moved on to another group that was attacking him.

More metal clanging together. He grimaced. Realizing there were at least seven of the creatures around him, he utilized Caladbolg's magic and began whirling it around him in a circle. The creatures in the sword's reach fell, and Trahearne quickly began making sure they would not be rebuilt.

A crackle of static and a high-pitched laugh interrupted Trahearne's focus. The well he had been forming fell apart, fading away into nothing. He turned just in time to see a Sylvari materialize in the middle of the creatures. His first instinct was to warn her, and he reached out to her.

His first realization was that she had no connection to the Dream. He felt a stunning amount of emptiness from her.

His second realization was that the machines were not attacking her, and she had a rifle aimed at him.

"You must be Scarlet Briar," he deducted, calmly holding up Caladbolg in defense, but making no move to attack.

She was silent for a moment before lowering her rifle, looking positively giddy. "A Firstborn! Ooh, and the leader of the Pact. Trahearne was your name, right?" She put her rifle on her back and clapped her hands together. "This'll be fun! Oh, but first, since you ARE a Sylvari- What does our dear Mother think of me?" She made no move to allow Trahearne to answer. "I bet she's absolutely disappointed. Ashamed. Dismayed." She paused, humming in thought for a moment before lighting up. "Ooh, and embarrassed! That's a favorite of mine, you know. Our poor Mother." She let out another laugh before she noticed Trahearne had diverted his attention from her to fight another twisted machine. "Excuse me!" Scarlet snapped her fingers and both the machine and the Sylvari turned to face her and her rifle. "I'm still using that!" She yelled at the machine, gesturing to Trahearne before shooting the machine straight through the middle. It fell to pieces near Trahearne's feet. Her look of anger quickly morphed into cheer as she focused on Trahearne again. "My apologies, they never seem to learn! I like making new friends." She started towards him, replacing her rifle on her back.

Trahearne was content to let her do all the talking- perhaps he could distract her for awhile and learn about his enemy. "Hmm, you've already decided you don't like me, haven't you? Is it because I pointed my rifle at you earlier?" A flick of her finger rendered invisible bonds around the Firstborn, restricting his movement, but he kept a calm air, allowing her to continue. "I'm not very good at first impressions, but I have had to stay on my toes." She gave Trahearne a pout. "Everyone's been so mean to me lately."

The Firstborn frowned. "Do they have reason not to be?"

"All things have a right to grow!" Scarlet giggled. "I'm sorry, I couldn't keep a straight face. Maybe they should get to know me before they try to kill me!" She paused. "Are you going to kill me, Oh Great Firstborn?"

This put him off a bit, and he considered his answer before he spoke. "If I must to ensure the safety of this nation, then yes, I suppose I will."

She seemed pleased with this answer. "Well then," she started, approaching him and gently pushing Caladbolg aside. "Maybe you should get to know me better first." She put a finger under Trahearne's chin, and he quickly moved her hand away.

"I think we know each other well enough, thank you."

Scarlet laughed, reveling in the discomfort radiating from the Firstborn. "Well, what a stick in the mud." She shook her head. "Such a shame. Do you have a partner? A nice little Sylvari back in the Grove? I could kill them, if you'd like." Trahearne was visibly irritated, which only encouraged Scarlet. "Oh, you don't? What about Caithe? I heard she's available." Scarlet beamed. "Did you hear? Faolain fell to Nightmare! I could kill her, too, if I wanted, but I think she's funny, so I let her stay." Scarlet chattered on while her twisted machines were slaughtered across the fields. Trahearne irritatedly watched her, fidgeting in an attempt to rid himself of the binding magic.

"You know, you are rather fun, even if you're a stick in the mud. I'd invite you over but I'm already expecting guests." She turned and swept her gaze along the visible field, clicking her tongue in disapproval. "There go my minions. Oh well, there are plenty more where those came from!" She turned back to Trahearne. "I've gotta run. We should do this again sometime!" She beamed at him. "What do you think?" He was silent, and she frowned. "Silly stick in the mud. If you don't answer I won't let you go, and you'll have to have someone else let you out!" She paused for a minute, then lit up. "Ooh, nevermind, don't say anything!"

She quickly tightened the magical bindings, restricting his movement almost entirely. Caladbolg was stuck into the ground and Trahearne's arms were crossed over his chest. He could only breath and speak. "Now, Stick in the Mud, I'm almost done. Hold still." She uncapped a tube of lipstick she had gotten as a souvenir from the Closing Ceremony. The lady who owned it was very nice, and she had a wonderful viewing spot right next to the last of Scarlet's bombs. A very nice lady with a beautiful corpse.

Scarlet moved behind Trahearne and started writing on his back with the lipstick. He shivered, causing her to grin. "I was thinking about carving it in, but it wouldn't show very well. And it's not often you find bark as nice as yours! Maybe some other time, if you're lucky." She hummed while she worked, then giggled. "It says 'Scarlet was here,' in case you were wondering," she cooed to Trahearne. An irritated sigh escaped from him, and Scarlet laughed. "One last touch!" She quickly coated her lips with the stuff and pecked him on the cheek, leaving a nice kiss-shaped mark. "Perfect! I wish I could be here to see the look when someone finds you!"

Trahearne decided the best way to keep what was left of his dignity intact was to remain silent.

"Well, ta-ta!" Another crackle of static, a flash of lightning, and she was gone.

The Firstborn checked as best as he could to make sure nobody was watching before he started struggling against the bonds. He realized that his irritation and serious attitude had only encouraged Scarlet, but at least he maintained some shred of dignity through it all, at least until someone found him. Here he was, immobilized and covered in lipstick.

Still, she had been awfully pretty.


End file.
